Susan Angeles: Fil-Am I am

Opening Reception: July 18, 6-8pm
Available for viewing: July 17 – July 28 (9am-5pm Weekdays)
Philippine Center Gallery
556 5th Avenue New York, NY

Susan Angeles is a New York-based mixed media artist. Born in Quezon City, her passion for art began at an early age when she would copy some of the paintings in her parents’ art collection. She took private art lessons with celebrated Filipino artist Sofronio Y. Mendoza (SYM) in the 1970s. This influenced her early drawings and oil paintings, which were largely representational.

Immigrating to the U.S. after college led Susan to careers in marketing and real estate. She raised two boys—one with special needs—while working full-time and pursuing an MBA at NYU Stern School of Business. As she juggled multiple priorities, Susan channeled her artistic interests toward co-founding Anderson Center for Autism’s art program, Expressive Outcomes, providing people with autism and developmental disabilities opportunities for artistic expression. Susan also purposed her art to fundraise for Anderson Center. This is where her oldest son has been a long-term resident.

During the pandemic lock-down, Susan retired from her property management job and immersed herself in art studies at the Art Students League of New York, Woodstock School of Art and Art2Life. She is currently a full-time artist. Her art continues to evolve and is very much a reflection of her life.

Susan’s fascination with the therapeutic effects of sensory play and her process of exploration and self-discovery result in art pieces that are authentic and personal. Her work in the Fil-Am I am art exhibit (July 17-July 28) represent “archaeological artifacts” of her childhood and youth in the Philippines, as well as her adult years as a Filipino-American immigrant living in New York City and the Hudson Valley. The depth and richness of her life experiences become apparent in her use of mixed media—she often integrates fabric, paper, crushed minerals and other found objects as textural elements. Combining smooth and rough textures; organic and geometric shapes; and figurative and abstract compositions are all part of Susan’s art practice, informed by her multifaceted life of navigating diverse cultures and challenges.